U Physicists Contribute To IceCube's Next Era

IceCube Neutrino Observatory completes major upgrade, expanding scientific capabilities

Published on Mar. 5, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

After 15 years of operation, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory has completed its first major upgrade, an expansion that will significantly push the observatory's scientific capabilities. The University of Utah's Department of Physics & Astronomy has been a critical collaborator from IceCube's beginning, with U postdoctoral researcher Vedant Basu and physics department chair Carsten Rott playing key roles in the upgrade project.

Why it matters

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory uses one cubic kilometer of Antarctic ice to detect neutrinos, which offer a direct view of distant and otherwise hidden astrophysical sources. The upgrade will enhance IceCube's ability to study fundamental neutrino interactions and provide a new window into the characteristics of the detector, leading to improved reconstruction of neutrinos and reanalysis of 15 years of archived data.

The details

The upgrade involved drilling six mile-and-a-half-deep holes into the ice using a 5-megawatt hot-water drill system, a crucial step in deploying new sensors that are three times more sensitive than the current ones. Vedant Basu was part of the international team that completed this task, working around the clock. Carsten Rott's team also secured a new camera system from Korea to better understand the operation's environment and improve the scientists' ability to determine cosmic ray composition and measure neutrinos from galactic supernovae.

  • IceCube's construction began in 2005.
  • The upgrade was completed in 2026.

The players

Vedant Basi

A postdoctoral researcher at the University of Utah who was part of the international team that drilled the holes for the IceCube upgrade.

Carsten Rott

The chair of the University of Utah's Department of Physics & Astronomy, who performed detector calibration and verification efforts at the start of IceCube's construction and secured a new camera system for the upgrade.

Dennis Soldin

The University of Utah physicist who is the new analysis coordinator for the IceCube Neutrino experiment, responsible for the oversight, management and approval of all physics analysis.

IceCube Neutrino Observatory

A neutrino observatory located at the U.S. National Science Foundation's Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, using one cubic kilometer of Antarctic ice to detect neutrinos.

University of Utah Department of Physics & Astronomy

A critical collaborator on the IceCube project since its beginning, with faculty and researchers playing key roles in the observatory's upgrades and operations.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“The IceCube upgrade is an exciting opportunity to study fundamental neutrino interactions, while also providing us with a new window into the characteristics of our detector. We've also been able to deploy and test a variety of new sensors which greatly benefits the development of sensors for the IceCube-Gen2 effort.”

— Vedant Basu, Postdoctoral researcher, University of Utah (Mirage News)

“My group designed and built a novel camera-based calibration system, which consists of over 2,000 cameras and LED light sources. It will be used to better understand the properties of the Antarctic ice that is used as a detector medium for the neutrinos. It might uncover new phenomena, which have so far been hidden in the data.”

— Carsten Rott, Chair, Department of Physics, University of Utah (Mirage News)

“Using the enhanced devices deployed in the ice, scientists will be able to better characterize the surrounding ice, leading to improved reconstruction of neutrinos and a [retroactive] reanalysis of 15 years of archived data.”

— Dennis Soldin, IceCube's new analysis coordinator (Mirage News)

What’s next

Commissioning will continue to be the top priority to verify functionality of the newly deployed devices. The upgrade is a steppingstone to the proposed IceCube-Gen2, which would be eight times the instrumented volume of its predecessor and ensure the observatory remains at the forefront of neutrino astronomy for years to come.

The takeaway

The successful completion of the IceCube upgrade project demonstrates the University of Utah's significant contributions to advancing neutrino physics and the nation's leadership in this field. The upgrade will enable new cosmic discoveries through enhanced neutrino detection and analysis capabilities.